


Eyes of the Devil

by TheOddCatLady95



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Blood Drinking, Cliffhangers, Hunting, I'll think of more tags later and add them, M/M, Vampires, at least I'll be attempting them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-07-14 22:09:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7192823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOddCatLady95/pseuds/TheOddCatLady95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'It irks me when I get burned,<br/>And I realize, I don't get hurt,<br/>And always, it seems I've lost my way....'</p><p>James Ironwood had been a member of the Society for almost all his life. Taking down vampires and driving them back into the Dark Red districts were his responsibility, and he would never falter from his goal to hunt down any deadly vampire in existence. </p><p>When something dark starts to bubble up from underground, and his only source is a vampire who once had ties to the Society, James can't rely on the black and white thinking of the Society any longer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It Was A Quiet Night

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god why am I doing this. A certain post popping up on my dash, a certain someone encouraging me on Tumblr, and the right song shuffling into place so I can name this fic... I blame everyone but myself. As always. I hope you all enjoy.

Jaune knew he shouldn’t have been late running home. He shouldn’t have taken a shortcut through an alley. He shouldn’t have frozen up when he heard that dark chuckle turning into a hungry growl. And now he was going to die screaming.

 

“GOD! OH GOD, SOMEONE HELP ME!”

 

_Bang! Bang!_

 

The monster that had cornered him jerked once, twice. It turned with a rabid snarl, ignoring the scarlet trails that were dripping down its side. The shadowed man just waited until the creature charged him.

 

_Click._

 

_Bang!_

 

Jaune wasn’t aware he’d fallen to the ground the same time his attacker did until the shadowed over man was standing over him and offering a hand. “Are you all right? Did he bite you?”

 

Numbly, Jaune took the stranger’s hand and pulled himself back up, his knees still wobbling. “It… it really was a…”

 

“It was. Did he bite you?”

 

Jaune shook his head no. The dark kept him from seeing the man clearly, just that he looked stern, but… his eyes were nice? And he was wearing a Society uniform? So he wasn’t the bad guy. With a nod, the man just continued on his way, leaving Jaune alone. Jaune just shouldered his bookbag and ran back into the lit streets. No more shortcuts tonight. No shortcuts _ever again_ , actually.

 

~*~

 

He saved a kid tonight. He supposed he should be grateful.

 

Tonight though, James Ironwood just felt tired.

 

The Huntsman sat on the side of the roof, taking several deep breaths. He reached up and slowly rubbed the joint of his right shoulder. It was starting to stick again, he had to recalibrate it when he got home in the morning.

 

Vampires had it easy- they were wired to stay up all night.

 

The clock tower softly chimed midnight and James pulled his phone from his pocket. “General reporting in. Located one deadly tonight, been put down. Other than that, it’s been quiet.”

 

Few moments of quiet, then a calm voice replied. “The North Witch reporting in. No deadlies tonight. It’s been quiet here as well. I don’t like it.”

 

James quietly chuckled. “You never like it quiet.”

 

“It means something else is going on elsewhere. Autumn, report in.”

 

There was a quiet snort. “North Witch, Autumn reporting in. And there is nothing. I suppose it’s a night to stay in. It’s pretty cloudy, probably gonna rain good tonight, and the vampires don’t wanna get _wet_. Think I can turn in?”

 

Ah, Autumn. James chuckled. “I’ll sweep your area, you go home.”

 

“Thank you!” A beep and the girl went offline. She was still so young, but was truly performing as a proper Huntress.

 

It was a few minutes of silence before North Witch spoke up again. “Puma? Report in. Are there any sign of Deadlies in your area?”

 

Suddenly the peaceful quiet of the night didn’t seem so peaceful. James pulled his phone closer. “Puma. This is General, if you do not respond I am going to sweep into your area. Do you copy?”

 

Still nothing. Damn. And James was rather looking forward to turning in early too. “North Witch, I’m going to do a sweep of the Puma’s section. Do me a favor and sweep through Autumn’s area for me. If I don’t respond in fifteen minutes, put together a team, and come after me.”

 

With a grunt, James leaped off the top off the building and rolled as he hit the ground.

 

_He just left off his phone. It happens to the best of us._

 

Puma wasn’t even patrolling a high risk area tonight. It was residential, middle class families. A retired Huntsman lived there though, raising his two teenage daughters. Had Puma just ran into him and started up a conversation?

 

It was quiet here tonight too. Maybe a dog barking or two, crickets chirping, but nothing seemed off. James found himself walking to the Lion’s house. _Not the Lion anymore- TaiYang. I have to remember that_.

 

He seemed to be keeping it together at least. The grass was mowed, the house seemed clean… might as well do a sweep, all the same.

 

James walked up to the front door and listened carefully. Nothing. It was midnight, on a school night, no one should be up this late anyway. He was about to continue his sweep when he heard a growl.

 

Instinct kicking in, James whipped back around, pulling his gun from his holster and testing the front door. Unlocked. _TaiYang, you could be a little more paranoid…_

 

Walking into the house, James kept his footsteps quiet as possible. “Lion? … TaiYang? Are you there?” Silence. Feeling his heart beat against his metal and flesh chest, James stepped into the kitchen.

 

There was a glass half filled with milk on the counter, a few crumbs scattered around it, but still no one. Had James been hearing things? No, he _knew_ he heard a growl-

 

_Squeak!_

 

James nearly jumped out of his skin before looking under his foot.

 

A dog toy.

 

The skitter of tiny claws across linoleum was brought to James’ attention, and now there was a black and white corgi at his feet. Its whole body wagging with excitement. The golden tags on its collar gleamed faintly against the dim light of the room, James could barely make out the word ‘ZWEI’.

 

A dog.

 

He’d just heard a _dog_.

 

Sighing with relief, James squatted down and gently handed the squeaker toy to the dog. “There. I’ll apologize to TaiYang in the morning.” If he even knew James had entered the house. That wasn’t likely, it was practically second nature to blend in and leave no trace now.

 

James had begun to stand again when he was clubbed across the back.

 

With a startled yell, James crashed to his knees, narrowly missing Zwei. The dog gave a startled yelp and ran away, clearly an ineffective guard dog. James attempted to get to his feet when the club was brought down again, sending James to the floor. He groaned weakly and fumbled for his gun.

 

His attacker’s boot crashed onto his human hand and pinned it down, the club knocking the gun across the floor. “Don’t even think about it, Huntsman.”

 

That voice… it had a distinctive hiss. James’ blood went cold.

 

_Vampire_.

 

The floor above creaked, a muffled voice, a door opened and closing… shit. If that was one of TaiYang’s children, they wouldn’t be able to escape. James had to react, and fast.

 

Using all his strength and with a shout, James pushed himself up and the vampire off balance. With a shout, he threw himself up and the vampire toppled over with a bang.

 

James went for his gun only to be tackled to the ground again. A hand tangled into his hair and James’ face was smashed into the floor, once, twice, three times-

 

“GET OFF HIM!”

 

Someone ripped the vampire off of James’ back and James crawl for his gun. Blood dripping from his nose down his face, James spun around, ready to go…

 

Only to see TaiYang pale as a ghost, staring at the vampire who had attacked James. Oh, it was definitely a vampire, the red eyes behind his bangs were glowing bright in the dark and his lips were pulled back in a terrible snarl, revealing sharp fangs.

 

“… _Qrow_?”

 

The vampire blinked before he vanished, the back door left open. James didn’t stop to catch up with TaiYang, he picked up his gun and ran after the vampire.

 

It was like he’d never been there. The neighborhood had gone back to the same silent it had been before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're still here? You haven't ran away? Oh thank gods. I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this, I have a few already ready, I just want to make sure they're actually postable before I show them to you all. The rating may or may not go up for this story, it probably will, simply due to the violence... and the possible smut... 
> 
> Anyway! Glad you all read this, and question of the day- what is your favorite vampire trope? Is it the not being seen in mirrors? Is it the burning in the sunlight? Or are you fond of the idea they cannot enter a home unless they're invited! Let me know when you leave a comment!


	2. Break In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James receives an uninvited visitor.

After being smashed into the floor, James definitely needed to recalibrate his arm. His fingers were uncontrollably twitching and his thumb couldn’t move at all, sensors refusing to respond. But there was more to worry about.

 

TaiYang was sitting at the dining room table, across from the General, still pale. He obviously just woke up, his blonde hair was a sticking every which way, he needed to shave, and he was in a candy cane print bathrobe that probably should’ve been thrown out a year or so ago. “General, I thought it was you.” He didn’t seem offended at least.

 

James at least managed to look a little bashful. “I’m sorry for entering, I thought I heard something. I wasn’t wrong, apparently. And you can call me James, you’re no longer a member of the Society.”

 

“Mmm.” TaiYang took a deep breath. “James, I know this is going to sound unbelievable… but I swear to God, that vampire was Qrow Branwen.”

 

The whole world just went dead silent for a span of seconds. Nothing moved. No one breathed. The silence was only broken by a painfully shrill squeak coming from Zwei’s toy.

 

“In your official report, you said the rest of your team was killed during a fight with White Fang. Are you saying that report wasn’t accurate now?” James leaned forward, resting his functioning hand on the table.

 

TaiYang wanted to look everywhere but James now. The clock on the wall, the scuff marks from the fight on the floor. Finally, he looked back. “My report isn’t wrong. I saw what I saw. I saw my team get dragged away before I passed out. I thought they were already dead. We know Summer was. And then the White Fang attacks…” He trailed off. “I never searched for their bodies. What kind of teammate was I?”

 

James shouldn’t be so harsh on TaiYang. The man was nearly dead when they found him. James sighed and leaned back. “We all thought they were dead, it wasn’t just you. Are you sure it was Qrow though? The Scarecrow?” James hadn’t ever met the fellow Huntsman, just heard of how damn _good_ he was before his passing.

 

Again, TaiYang nodded. “When I said his name, I saw his eyes. He recognized his name, he knew me. Is it possible that Raven…” He trailed off, but James knew that look in his eyes. Hope. That was hope.

 

“We don’t know how much of the soul remains when someone becomes a vampire, Li- TaiYang. Qrow might have recognized you, but I am quite certain he would have killed me if you didn’t pull him off.” Ouch, that was a bit harsh. “But I’ll personally see to it that he’s hunted down and _captured_ , not killed. If it really is Qrow, we can see we what we can do.”

 

TaiYang nodded, glancing at the clock. “Thank god the girls slept through all this. If they ask questions in the morning, I’ll blame the dog. By the way, you didn’t happen to step on Zwei’s squeaky toy, did you?”

 

Looks like you can stop being a Huntsman as an occupation, but the instincts of one never leave. James glanced over at the adorable Corgi gnawing away at the toy and chuckled. “I did. He’s not exactly guard dog material, is he?”

 

“I’m pretty sure all Qrow had to do to get past him was to rub his belly. I wanted a Retriever, but the girls insisted on Zwei.” Zwei looked up at that moment, tongue lolling out of his mouth and panting happily. James tried to hide a smile but he couldn’t help but to give the ‘guard dog’ a loving scratch behind the ears.

 

“I have to be going. I think I have a pack of other Society members searching for me.”

 

~*~

 

He did indeed, led by The North Witch herself. Instead of the white form fitting uniform most members of the Society wore, hers was more white-gray, with a deep purple cloak around her shoulders. Her rank was obvious, she held herself like a woman who knew she was in charge, and no one had the nerve to challenge that.

 

James pulled down the neck of his costume to show there was no wounds, although with how his face was bruised, it was obvious he’d been in a fight. Flurry, a younger member who must have signed onto emergency duty, stepped closest. “Sir! Are you all right?”

 

“Other than a few bruises, I’m fine. I haven’t located the Puma but I did have a run in with a deadly who initiated violence. He managed to escape though.” Oh, that was sore to admit. The General prided himself on a high success rate.

 

North Witch looked at him carefully, her eyes briefly narrowing but she merely nodded. “It’s all right… we found him. Several miles outside of his radius, in the Dark Red district.”

 

“Dark Red?” Another thing to add to the confusion of the night. “We don’t patrol there. It’s completely overrun. Is he-”

 

“He wasn’t.” There was evident relief in North Witch’s voice, her normally stern eyes softening. “He was beaten and he’s in the hospital, unconscious but stable.”

 

Thank god. James took a deep breath. “Then I’ll report to you on the details of the attacker as soon as we’re at the base.”

 

“You absolutely will not.” North Witch narrowed her eyes and stared James down until the General was forced to drop his gaze. “You are going home, taking care of your arm, and then resting. We can speak later. If it absolutely cannot wait, send me a text.”

 

There was no arguing when she took that tone of voice. James surrendered, nodding. “I’ll report back later tonight then.”

 

“Good.”

 

~*~

 

James groaned as he sat back on his chair, his uniform jacket and shirt removed so he could work on his arm. Granted, he should be doing work like this in a more upright position or in his study, but he was just too _tired_. So the armchair in the living room would work.

 

Thankfully nothing needed to be replaced this time. Serving so many years under the Society, he’d gotten used to repairing the parts of his body that were metal, his hand in particular- it took the brunt of the damage. James popped open the panel and after turning off the sensitivity in his arm, started removing his fingers and fixing the small intricacies, the wires that had been pulled loose, the bars that had bent. It was almost relaxing.

 

He’d almost finished putting his thumb back on when a shadow crossed the room.

 

James froze… and then looked up.

 

Qrow Branwen was now in his living room, leaning against the wall that lead to the kitchen. A bottle of vodka was resting in his hand, James recognized it from his own collection.

 

In the light, his identity was far more clear. Theunbuttoned uniform jacket was tattered and had gone gray with wear, but the stitching of the scarlet ‘S’ was still on the chest. A silver cross necklace dangled from his neck, its brightness contrasting with the dullness of the jacket.James saw the item that had successfully given him the goose egg of a lifetime on the back of his head hanging from Qrow’s belt- it was similar to a club, but a blade folded into it. Once the blade was flipped out, it would strongly resemble a sickle, if James remembered correctly. The weapon of the Scarecrow.

 

There was not much James could do. The screwdriver in hand could be a weapon, but not long enough for James to turn on his arm to use as defense, and then run into his room to fetch his gun which he _stupidly_ left with his jacket…

 

“The General, right?” Qrow took a long swig from the bottle, his scarlet eyes not leaving James for a second. “We need to chat.”

 

_My phone is in on the side table. Keep him talking long enough and I can contact the Society._

 

James nodded and gestured with his living hand to the couch. “I think we do… Qrow.”

 

It was barely a blink and Qrow was sitting on the couch, his legs crossed, the vodka bottle resting against his leg. “So Tai really did recognize me, ey, Jimmy?”

 

“It’s James.” If they were going to talk, James was going to be respected.

 

Qrow’s lips quirked into a smirk. “ _James_. What, did ya not expect I’d remember who you were? You, Oz and Glynda were all _real_ good pals, playing dress up and helping clear out the rats under the streets of Vale.”

 

“You were once one of us too. They called you Scarecrow, right?”

 

That got under Qrow’s skin. For a second, his confident smirk twitched, faded a bit. It didn’t last long though, Qrow just took another swig and once the bottle lowered, he was back to his normal persona. “Didn’t you hear, Jim? Scarecrow _died_. White Rose, Corvus, Scarecrow, they’re all fucking _dead_.” His condescending tone of voice faded with the next sentence. “Nah, I’m just Qrow. I just wanna talk about the White Fang.”

 

James’ attention was held. While fixing his arm completely blind, there wasn’t a shot in hell James was going to drop his gaze from the vampire on his couch, James started to ask questions. “What about them?”

 

“I’ve been hearing things. A lot of things. Since the nest was cleared out last year. And it’s serious.” The vodka bottle, now empty, was set on the ground. “Here’s how this is going to go- I’m gonna feed you my info. Everything I got, it goes to you, and I have your back when we check it out. But only you. Don’t tell your Society pals what I’m up to, don’t tell Glynda, don’t tell Oz, and _definitely_ don’t tell TaiYang. If I get the idea you’re leaking info to anyone else, I’m gone. You’ll never see me again.”

 

This was a strange deal, but not one James couldn’t handle. He nodded as he finally clicked his thumb into place. “I understand. Why come to me though?”

 

“Cuz Tai used to look up to you, and he’s out of the game, for a good reason. He’s all those girls _got_.” There was something almost protective about Qrow’s tone of voice, and James almost thought Qrow had a piece of decency left in him… almost. “If you’re half as good as The Lion once thought you were, then you can keep up with me. Course, maybe you got slow over the years. I did manage to knock you over while you were playing with a _puppy_.”

 

God, James already knew that Qrow wasn’t going to let him live that down. “I let my guard down. It won’t be down around you again.”

 

Qrow smirked. “Exactly how it should be, James. Now, I’m gonna leave here, let you snooze so you can meet Glynda, but hey, while I’m here, can I have a snack?”

 

Before James could fully turn on his arm, Qrow was straddling across James’ lap, one hand pressed against James’ chest to keep him still. James growled and shoved him back the best he could, damning that he hadn’t gotten his metal arm functioning yet- he wouldn’t be having a problem otherwise. He’d thrown enough vampires across the room to know that.

 

“Qrow, don’t even think about it.”

 

Qrow wetted his lips, cocking his head to the side. “Thought about it. Thinking about it the whole time we were chatting away. Jim, I’m hungry, and I haven’t had time to hunt while trying to put together what the hell’s going on. You’ll sleep off the effects in a few hours. And this way, I don’t have to target someone walking home.”

 

The vampire leaned in and James felt himself start to sweat a little. If there was something honestly going on in Vale and action needed to happen, Qrow would need to be at his peak of strength. “… Fine.” James dropped his hand and remained still. “Careful, and if you turn me, I will _shoot_ you.”

 

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’d only turn someone I _liked_.”

 

James would’ve retorted but then Qrow dipped in close and slowly exhaled onto James’ neck.

 

The result was instantaneous- every muscle in James’ body went lax. The perfect attack, James had come very close to getting bit in the past because he got too close, but the metal half of his body didn’t suffer from the effects of the poison. It had saved him several times in the past.

 

James made a sharp ‘ngh!’ when Qrow’s tongue darted out and lapped at the skin on James’ neck- _Jesus_. He hadn’t gone _this_ far with the effects of a vampire attack before, he’d managed to fight them off before it got to his head. Now he understood why the prey rarely fought.

 

The feeling was _euphoric_. James’ breathing slowed down, his pupils were blown out, it was almost like floating…

 

“Never been bit? I’ll be damned.” Qrow lapped carefully at the skin a few more times before he let the needle point tips of his fangs pressed against James’ skin. James didn’t have to see the smirk to know it was there, he could feel it against his skin.

 

When Qrow’s fangs broke his skin, it was like fireworks exploded in front of James’ eyes.

 

A quiet groan slipped from his lip and he rolled his neck so Qrow could have easier access. Qrow’s fangs sunk in deeper before he pulled back, just a touch, to let the blood flow into his mouth.

 

After that, it just faded into a dream for James. Everything was now unreal, the bleeding wound on his neck, the sucking as Qrow drained his blood, even the fabric of the couch against his skin, it was all so floaty and far away…

 

He didn’t remember finally just falling into a dreamstate, where everything was impossible to reach but it didn’t seem to matter. He didn’t remember Qrow getting off his lap, he didn’t remember getting bandaged up.

 

What he did remember was regaining awareness to find Glynda standing in front of him, arms crossed, and her lips pursed the way they were when she was _not_ happy.

 

“So. The Scarecrow is back in play… you _really_ couldn’t have texted me that?”

 

Oh, _damn it_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the only one getting a little hot under the collar because of vampire!Qrow right? Right? *coughs quietly*
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, here's a reminder that I do commissions. I never judge pairings, or scenario, just message me at my tumblr imburiedincats-sendhelp if you're interested. Well, until next time, but before I go, question of the day, last time I asked what your favorite vampire trope was.... but what's your LEAST favorite? Does the no reflection thing seem silly? What about the burning up in sunlight thing? Lemme know when you leave a comment!


	3. Gold and Black Arrows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James has a talk with Qrow during patrol.

“So, he didn’t feed me his blood?”

 

Dressed in worn blue jeans and a t-shirt a size too large, The North Witch certainly wasn’t her typically well dressed self, sharp in her uniform. Now she was just Glynda- your average practitioner of the craft, dirt under her fingernails from working in her garden and with the barest sprinkling of faint freckles across her nose, usually hidden by makeup. The woman pushed up her glasses and held up the glass with James’ blood sample on it. “No. All I can sense in your blood is the aftereffects from a bite. You haven’t been bit before, have you?”

 

“No. I’ve been out of it all day.” James was kicking himself now. There were ways to help you get used to the effects of a vampire’s bite. Drugs you can take, exposure to vampiric hormones to help you build up resistance, but James hadn’t bothered to take any of those in years. There just hadn’t been a need. James was half metal, once he retaliated physically, a vampire normally didn’t stand a chance. Even after Glynda had woken him, it had taken a cup of coffee and a long shower to really wake him from his stupor. During coffee he’d apparently talked about a lot… including who his attacker was. And what they’d agreed to.

 

Glynda pressed her lips together. “You should have told me that the vampire was Qrow.”

 

“That hadn’t been confirmed. And I wasn’t aware he was following me home.” James groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It was definitely Qrow though. I saw the sickle. And I think TaiYang knows more than he realizes. Qrow was at his house last night. He may have been keeping tabs on his teammate.”

 

“You were tired and you were in your home. Anyone would have let their guard down.” Glynda sat down on the couch, the same spot Qrow had been sitting the night before. “I’ll post someone outside their house… It’s hard to believe it’s really Qrow, though.” There it was, that slight hesitation in her eyes.

 

James sat up and cracked his neck, groaning with relief as it popped. “I hadn’t ever met him. Had you?”

 

“A few times.” Glynda pushed up her glasses again. “He was a drunk, and a bit irritating, but he was a good man. The Wizard trusted him on several alone missions Outside. He worked with Corvus most of the time though, and when he was with his team, we all believed he was unstoppable. I was the first on the scene when the Lion set up the red alert.” She paused, before looking outside at the sun starting to set. “If Qrow is still himself. And if he truly thinks something is happening in Vale, then I’m not going to doubt him. I’m going to assume he told you not to tell anyone else anything? He’s always had… trust issues, with the Society. They’ve probably only worsened in time.”

 

James nodded. “We’ve never had a chance to work with a turned Huntsman. They either vanish, or cannot live with their new forms and have their lives ended. I won’t be able to tell you anything but can you give me an alarm?”

 

“Of course.” Glynda pulled what looked like a button from her pocket. “We’ve changed them, since Qrow’s disappearance. He shouldn’t be able to recognize it. All you have to do is break it and every Huntsman of the Society will be there for you. Contact me every twelve hours or after you meet with Scarecrow, if you do not I will activate the tracker and come for you myself.”

 

“Thank you.” James stood and took it from Glynda. He’d clip it onto sleeve, right below the wrist for easy reach. If Qrow was trying to trick him, half the Society would be on him before he even knew it. “I’m going out patrolling tonight.”

 

“Are you certain that’s safe?” Glynda pursed her lips.

 

“I need to find Qrow. I need to see what he truly views as a threat to this city. Get someone monitoring the Lion’s house, I can handle myself.”

 

~*~

 

It really had been too quiet lately. It was already approaching the midnight check in and absolutely nothing had happened. James should’ve put that together much sooner. He was _relieved_ when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

 

“Qrow, I know it’s you.”

 

Out of the shadows walked the vampire, the uniform jacket he’d been wearing the night before replaced by a gray coat. “Not bad, Jimmy.”

 

“ _James_.” If the General managed to make it through this whole agreement without shooting Qrow in the head, it would be a relief. “How did you follow me home?”

 

“A little bird helped me,” Qrow said, smirking. In the dim shine of the streetlamps his fangs glinted ivory white. “Glynda check up on you?”

 

James grimaced, but nodded. “I was still under the effects of the bite. She knows you’re alive. And that means the Wizard will know soon.”

 

“Damn. Guess I couldn’t keep this between ourselves the whole time anyway.” Qrow gestured in front of him. “Let’s go for a walk, huh, Jim?”

 

The clock tolled midnight and James immediately reached for his phone. “Let me do the check in. Then we can talk.”

 

It was Hunter and Teacher on duty tonight. Thankfully both checked in fast and on time, Hunter had located two vampires and had chased both back to the Dark Red, for Teacher the night had been peaceful.

 

Qrow was capping his flask when James returned. “Since this deal involves both of us, put that away.” James pointed to the flask. “I need you in your right mind, which means whenever we’re together, no drinking. At all.”

 

The vampire briefly curled back his top lip in a snarl, but he tucked it back in his jacket. “Let’s walk, Jimmy.”

 

Yeah, James was going to shoot him before the night was over.

 

The night was quiet here, most stores closed a good hour before sundown. No one wanted to walk home in the dark. But there were always the few ones that operated twenty four hours, or the people who worked late shifts, or just those who didn’t have a place to go when the sun went down.

 

“Go ahead. Start askin’ questions.” Qrow looked so sickly whenever they passed under a light, the pallid tone of his skin revealing the dead veins beneath. A walking corpse.

 

All right. “Is Corvus alive? Or was she turned?”

 

“She’s gone.” It was sharp, cold, but to the point.

 

Damn. That was not the news James wanted to deliver to TaiYang. “My condolences. She was your sister?”

 

“My twin.” Qrow glanced down an alley without even stopping, there was no one there. “Next.”

 

“Who was the one who turned you?”

 

Qrow’s fists balled up so tight James took a step back, but they loosened. “Dunno. That night’s a bit of a blur. _Next_.”

 

That was a relief. James looked him over. “And… your humanity…” He trailed off.

 

Qrow snorted. “What’s there to talk about there? I’m a _vampire_. I have fangs so I can tear into human necks. Sunlight makes me powerless, and the night’s the best friend I got. I got powers you don’t even _know_ about.” He paused and James found himself reaching for his gun until he spoke again. “… But I’m not a mass killer, I’m not one of the vampires that goes about ripping out throats and lording it over everyone. I’m not one of the ones Society would put high on their ‘to kill’ list.”

 

That was a relief. James released a sigh that he’d been holding back and his hand moved away from the gun. “That’s all I wanted to hear, honestly. All right then. Business. Why do you think the White Fang’s gone quiet lately?”

 

Qrow, seemingly satisfied with the change of topic, made a turn to the right. “There’s someone new. Calling the shots.”

 

“Someone new?” James frowned. “Are you saying the Lieutenant is no longer-”

 

Qrow’s loud laughter cut James off. “Oh wow. The Lieutenant? Really? _Really_? You all thought it was that guy? He was never calling the shots in the first place, he’d like to _think_ so, but he’s hot air. No. The guy you were lookin’ for is Adam Taurus.”

 

 _Taurus_. James felt cold. “… No, we killed him in a hunt a year ago. His mate left him and we had an opening-”

 

James found himself immobilized, pressed against a wall with his metal arm twisted behind his back. “She was _not_ his mate.” The hatred bled through Qrow’s voice. James’ heart hammered in his chest until Qrow slowly released him and started talking again. “You didn’t get Adam. Adam escaped and left a pawn in his place, you just got a random. Adam was in control. Then everything went quiet about three months back, and I heard started hearing a few things.”

 

“Anything solid?” James rotated his wrist to make sure it was still functional.

 

Qrow slowed and seemed to listen for a few seconds before continuing on. “… Mostly that Adam lost a fight.”

 

James nearly tripped. “As far as we knew, until his supposed death, Adam was the most powerful vampire in Vale.” There were scores of them, especially in the Dark Red district, but most of them just needed a bullet to the head.

 

“Well, there’s always a bigger guy. He tried to keep it quiet, but word got out that someone challenged Adam and he lost.” Qrow found another pebble to kick across the pavement. “I mean, I didn’t give a shit. One guy couldn’t be worse than another, right? Then White Fang vampire attacks just stopped, on humans at least.”

 

Human? James raised an eyebrow. “On humans?”

 

“Do you all just pay attention to the bodies with ripped out throats?” Qrow gave him a quizzical glance.

 

James squeezed his hand into a fist and mentally counted to ten. “We cooperate with local law enforcement, but after the most recent election, things have been a little colder on their side of things.”

 

Qrow sighed. “Knew Schnee getting into office was going to bite your asses.”

 

A thought came to James, something that didn’t settle well with him. “… You should know what we pay attention to. You followed the same methods.”

 

“It’s been over ten years, Jimmy. Things get a little… warped.”

 

James ignored the nickname this time. “Are you saying you can’t remember everything from when you were human?”

 

Qrow tensed and was about to respond when a loud scream filled James’ ears.

 

He didn’t hesitate, he just pushed past Qrow and to the source of the scream.

 

His mind tended to switch to instinct when this happened.

 

_One deadly, on the street. Victim, female, on the ground, crawling away._

 

_No risk of her being in the way of the shot. No one else around._

 

_Aim._

 

_Click._

 

_Bang!_

 

It was a one shot deal this time. The vampire dropped like a stone in a river, nearly landing on the woman. With a stuttered ‘T-thank you!’ She scrambled to her feet and took off running, leaving the corpse behind.

 

“Nice shot. It really does only take one hit for you, huh? What’s in your bullets?”

 

Qrow was behind James as James kicked over the vampire’s body to get a better look at him.

 

The mask. White Fang. James’ guard went up as he looked around cautiously.

 

_They move in teams. Why would this one be alone?_

 

“Dust, of course. Qrow, is there anyone else around?” A vampire had better senses than James.

 

Qrow was quiet for several seconds. The only sound was James’ light breathing and someone playing music, in an apartment, several floors up.

 

“… Get down.”

 

James didn’t hesitate. He dropped to his stomach, hearing a sharp whistle and something cut a furrow through his hair. He looked up to see a golden arrow imbedded in the wall. _Time to move_. James rolled and avoided another arrow where his head would’ve been. “Qrow!” He looked up to see the vampire was gone.

 

Damn it.

 

James pulled out his phone and pressed the red button. “I’m being attacked! Archer, rooftop.” He rolled again to avoid another arrow. “Send back up.”

 

_Where were they?_

 

James managed to dodge into the alley and behind a dumpster before he started looking around again.

 

There! Someone on a rooftop, he could see the faint glow of an arrow. He hid back behind the dumpster, holding his breath.

 

_Clunk!_

 

James stared at an arrowhead centimeters from eye level.

 

_It pierced right through._

 

He had to keep moving. The General crawled on the ground, keeping his head down and cursing Qrow for leaving him…

 

No more arrows. James held still for several moments before finally turning his head.

 

He couldn’t see her on the rooftop anymore. Taking a risk, he managed to pull his binoculars from his jacket and lifted them to his eyes.

 

It was just blurs of bodies, but James had learned what to expect when two vampires fought.

 

 _Qrow_.

 

A sharp whistle made him get his head down again. But this time the arrow wasn’t gold.

 

It was pitch black, and once it hit the ground it exploded into glass shards.

 

Several imbedded themselves into his metal arm, one shard barely missing his right eye, scoring above the brow. And then they started to _burn_.

 

Biting his tongue to keep himself from making any sort of sound of pain, James reached and pulled the shrapnel out from above his eye.

 

And now it was quiet.

 

“James? You hit?”

 

James couldn’t see him, but he found a very odd comfort in Qrow’s voice. “I’m fine. Who was it?”

 

“I don’t have a damn clue. She fought like hell, fired that one last arrow at you, and then took off.”

 

With a groan, James sat up, examining the damage to his arm. Damn. He’d have to spend a few days repairing it. The shards were melting together the joints, at least the pain receptors had shut off. “Are you all right?”

 

“Eh, she probably cracked one of my ribs… or all of them. I’m fine though, it’ll heal in a day. Is anyone coming for you?”

 

Just then, James heard the low voice of the Hunter calling out. Qrow chuckled quietly.

 

“Heh. Port. I’ll leave you to it then. I’ll meet you at your apartment at the end of the week.”

 

And like that, James could feel Qrow’s presence fade away. He still hadn’t seen where he’d been hiding. Ugh, the wound above his eye hurt like hell.

 

“General!”

 

Hunter and Teacher were now above him, Teacher examining the injury to his face, and Hunter demanding to know who did this.

 

_Qrow saved me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took forever! Not a good enough internet connection... hope it was worth the wait at least? 
> 
> Currently moved in with my boyfriend, I'll be focusing entirely on writing, sooo if anyone feels like shooting a commission my way or hey, feel like supporting a chapter of one of my fanfics, send me a message at my tumblr imburiedincats-sendhelp! Or heck, just follow me there, I post writing snippets and gives heads up as to when a update will likely come.
> 
> Well bye for now, and question of the day is- do any of you have RWBY OC's? Lemme know when you leave a comment!


	4. Uncle Qrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More players become evident, and the White Fang attacks once again, this time with fatal results.

He was late.

 

Ruby kicked her feet, glancing up from her phone on occasion to see if he’d shown up yet. With no sign, and the clock rapidly approaching four, Ruby sighed and leaned against the back of the prickly bench. Ack! Another splinter! Grumbling darkly, Ruby pulled the treacherous wood chip from her thigh, ignoring the fact a shadow had crossed over her.

 

“You’re lookin’ lonely, waiting for a special someone?”

 

The girl brightened and looked up excitedly into the pale face of her best friend.

 

“Uncle Qrow!”

 

~*~

 

“And then I was like, but it makes no sense for me to work in a group when I can work by myself _faster_! Then I got told to stop being argumentative and was paired with Weiss. At least she’s super smart, so the work won’t be hard.”

 

Uncle Qrow chuckled and ruffled Ruby’s hair, nearly pushing her face into her ice cream cone. She ‘gacked’ and looked up, ice cream now on her nose. “Hey!”

 

“You’re such a weird kid.”

 

Ruby just stuck out her tongue and licked the ice cream off her nose before returning her attention back to the cone. “I’m glad you convinced me to tell my dad to bump me up two classes though. The work’s actually fun now! And I’m making new friends! And I get to see Yang _every day_! We share a lunch period. We started a food fight last week too! It was because they were serving mashed potatoes for like the fifth day in a row. A. Row!”

 

The teenage girl continuing rattling off until they walked into the Dark Red district.

 

Uncle Qrow looked much better here anyway- with the constant cloud cover, his skin didn’t look so unhealthy, and he looked much more comfortable. Ruby didn’t feel as comfortable, but she didn’t feel unsafe.

 

She had her Uncle with her. And that meant no one could mess with her.

 

Tossing her napkin into a garbage can, Ruby stepped closer to her Uncle. “How is she?” Her voice was quieter now. It was hard to be loud in a place so gray and silent.

 

“Doing great. Did you bring her more schoolwork?”

 

Ruby grinned. “Even better. A teacher threw out a bunch of the old books, the ones with the covers falling off. I managed to tape them all back together, and now she can have them!”

 

Uncle Qrow looked so happy. “You’re the best friend that girl can have, I hope you know.”

 

“Ahhh, you!” Ruby teasingly punched his shoulder, not catching the quiet wince that crossed his face.

 

The apartment was on the top floor, the elevator was broken and every step creaked. Ruby tapped on the door three times, and then the door opened.

 

A brunette vampire with pink streaks in her hair looked suspicious for a few brief moments before relaxing and opening the door. “Hey, Neo!” Ruby readjusted the bulging bag of books on her shoulder and waved. “Is my friend in?”

 

Neo nodded and opened the door even more. Ruby nodded and walked in before pausing. “Uh, Neo, can you let my Uncle in?”

 

The girl’s twotoned eyes widened and she made a sweeping motion towards her Uncle. Her Uncle took a deep breath and walked in. “Thanks, Neo. Last time I was uninvited, you do not want to know how the curse hit me later.” Neo just patted Qrow’s arm sympathetically.

 

Ruby just made her way past the stacks of books and books before slowly knocking on the door.

 

“Blake? It’s me. Ruby. Can I come in?”

 

The door slowly opened to reveal a vampire with golden slitted eyes and messy black hair. “… Ruby.” She smiled, a motion that took effort and it showed, but hey, at least she could smile. The door opened more and Ruby was now welcomed in.

 

“Wow! You’ve really started putting this place together!” She really did. The floor was swept, the musty blinds had been replaced by black and white lace curtains, the once bare and stained walls had been scrubbed, and her bookshelf had been straightened. There was even lil knick knacks and music boxes set on it.

 

Blake’s smile was still tired, but she looked proud. “Thank you. I just woke up two weeks ago and it hit me how… bare this place was. Spent a whole day cleaning. I might’ve convinced the dhampir next door to help though.”

 

Ruby started to snort as she giggled. “Poor Sun. Pretty sure he didn’t mind though.”

 

The vampire shook her head, and Ruby took notice to the tangles in her hair. “… Hey, where’s your hairbrush? Your hair’s a bit of a mess, lemme help.”

 

“Oh, no, it’s not really necessary...”

 

Five minutes later, Blake’s head was resting against Ruby’s knees as Ruby carefully ran the brush through the tangles. The vampire’s throat softly rumbled in a way that could only be described as a purr. “So, you’ve been doing really well lately?”

 

“Yeah, I actually have.” Blake breathed out. “There was another nightmare last night, about him, but I didn’t scream this time. Didn’t even wake up crying. I just… woke up. I almost called you though.”

 

Ruby laughed quietly. “You can always call me, friend. Even if it’s like two in the morning.”

 

She never mentioned ‘him’ by name. But the first time Ruby saw Blake, slinking into a corner, a thick leather collar on her neck and arms covered in bruises, Ruby knew. Ruby knew that ‘he’ was a bad person. Those first few weeks were exhausting, Uncle Qrow had asked for her help but Ruby didn’t know how. How can you help someone who can not only kill you with a single hit, but refuses to get near to you or even speak to you?

 

But not knowing how to do something has never stopped Ruby in the past. Ruby chattered Blake’s ears off. Asked about what her favorite subjects in school were, what she liked to do, what she liked to eat (other than blood), anything that popped into Ruby’s mind.

 

Blake never responded, not at first, she just looked… confused. Ruby kept trying though, and when Blake didn’t answer, Ruby would tell her what she liked instead.

 

Then came the breakthrough.

 

_Books. I… like books. It doesn’t really matter what they’re about. I love them._

 

Ruby’s first attempt at a gift was ‘Ninjas of Love’, a teen romance novel that was only fifty cents at the corner bookstore.

 

And Blake loved it.

 

“So, what’s in the bag?”

 

Ruby was jerked back to the present by Blake pointing at Ruby’s bookbag. “Oh! Presents! For you!” Ruby pulled away the brush and stroked Blake’s hair, it was just so soft. There was a brief tense in Blake’s shoulders but she wasn’t bothered by contact anymore.

 

(She’d nearly thrown Ruby across the room once when the girl made the mistake of squeezing Blake’s hand in an attempt to comfort her.)

 

The vampire pulled the bag closer and started pulling out books, books, and more books. Her joy was comparable to that of a child’s on Christmas morning. “Wow… there’s so many, even schoolbooks. I thought you couldn’t get me those.”

 

“Well, teachers were throwing ‘em out because the covers had gone bad, and I think some of the info’s outdated.” Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. “But hey, it’s better than nothing, right?”

 

Blake hugged an English lesson book to her chest. “It’s really… honestly great.” She set the book down and dug through the bag… only to sigh as she pulled out a furry toy that was shaped like a mouse. “… Really? Really.” She glared up at Ruby.

 

Ruby was now giggling. “Well… you said you could shapeshift into a cat and-”

 

The mouse was flung as Ruby’s face and she squealed, loudly.

 

~*~

 

“Get your homework done, kid?”

 

“Yup! Blake helped me with the poem part of the English assignment.”

 

The sun was going down. There were now more vampires in the street, but Ruby wasn’t all that bothered. They didn’t pay attention to her, and she didn’t pay attention to them.

 

Most vampires weren’t so bad.

 

At the end of the Dark Red district, Uncle Qrow stopped. “Can you walk home by yourself, kid?”

 

Ruby nodded. “No problem. I know what routes to take.” She gave Qrow a tight hug, he was cold to the touch but somewhere in his chest grew a little warmer when she held on.

 

She looked up to see his eyes, the few moments when they were soft, and he was truly happy. “… You’re gonna go far, kid. See you this weekend, I’ll bring you and Blake both ice cream.”

 

“Make sure to pick some up for Neo!” The girl was addicted to ice cream.

 

Soon Ruby was a girl running in the night, skinny, short, wearing a black skirt and a crimson hoodie several sizes too large, looking so innocent, so easy to target…

 

“Hey kid, mind if I have a bite?”

 

Ruby just spun around on her toes, a curved blade to the following vampire’s neck, still smiling. “I’d mind, thanks for asking. See ya!” She gave him a solid kick to the stomach and he fell backwards, his neck cutting deeply on her sickle.

 

What, it was more effective than pepper spray, and Uncle Qrow had taught her how to use it.

 

~*~

 

“Can I come in?”

 

James had completely forgotten Qrow was coming tonight. After Hunter and Teacher had found him, he’d been taken to Home to get patched up. Whatever pierced his brow was coated in Dust- although loading his gun didn’t bother him since the Dust was packed inside the rounds, touching Dust with your bare skin was exceedingly painful. The North Witch hadn’t even been able to heal all the damage. There would be a scar.

 

He wasn’t vain- James had plenty of scars from his many years of vampire killing. Not to mention the fact half his body was _metal_ , a small scar above his eyebrow wasn’t that much of a bother.

 

“You didn’t ask before, why do you need to ask now?” James deadpanned, leaning against the doorframe, he’d expected to see Glynda there. Instead Qrow was waiting on his doorstep, recapping his flask and patiently waiting to be allowed in.

 

Qrow gave him a dirty look. “Because last time I didn’t ask permission, I got broken ribs for you. Are you going to let me in or not?”

 

James sighed and opened the door. “You’re welcome to enter. Come in.”

 

Qrow made himself at home back on the couch. “Do you have whiskey? Last time all I could find was vodka, and my flask is almost empty.”

 

“ _Qrow_.”

 

The vampire sighed. “Right, right, no drinking. How’s the Huntsman you were looking for?”

 

How did he- nevermind. Qrow seemed to catch up on a lot of things. James sat in his chair. “He’s fine, he should be going home tomorrow. I intend on visiting him then, after I do a recruiting session at the highschool.”

 

“Recruiting?” Qrow frowned. “When the hell did _that_ start?”

 

Damn. They hadn’t had a need to ‘recruit’ back in Qrow’s days. “Shortly after we lost three members of the Society in a single night, dozens more following in the weeks after,” James knew that was harsh to bring up, but it was true. “Most of us joined right out of highschool anyway. I did. You did.”

 

“But we didn’t have someone there trying to show off the ‘shiny’ parts of being a Huntsman or Huntress.” Qrow’s scowl wasn’t leaving.

 

“We were running low on options, I’m not saying it was the best choice, but it was all we had. They’re not allowed to join unless they’re seventeen, and never on high risk missions. Our numbers are better today because of the teenagers that willingly took their time to join the Society.” James unbuttoned his shirt and started working on the damage on his side, he’d spent the whole day working on his arm and he didn’t have the time to care about decency if he wanted to be perfectly mobile tomorrow. “Is this because you have two nieces in high school?” Ruby and Yang. If Yang was anything like her father, she’d most certainly be signing up. Ruby would be too young for now.

 

Qrow went tense. “… They probably don’t even _remember_ their Uncle Qrow, but I don’t want to see them _dead_.”

 

“They won’t.” James looked up. “Qrow, if they sign up, I’ll see if I can mentor them myself. They will be safe, I promise.”

 

The vampire seemed to judge him for a few seconds, before he changed the subject. “Do you know any vampires who use a bow and arrow?”

 

More important things tonight, apparently. “No. Especially not Dust arrows. Could it be the one who overthrew Adam?”

 

Qrow thought for a few seconds. “… There’s a good chance. Think she was intending on seeing you last night?”

 

“Likely. But the death of any Huntsman would be an effective way to start a panic. It happened after you, after all.”

 

Qrow drummed his fingers anxiously. “Who’s out tonight?” He finally asked.

 

James had to think for a few moments. “The North Witch. Peach. I think Black and Lavender as well-”

 

His phone went off at that moment.  
  
“Calling all Society, this is Lavender, I- _fuck_! Black is down, I repeat, Black is _down_. So is Peach, the White Fang is-”

 

The message cut off and there was only a brief moment of silence before James got up and pulled on his jacket. He was almost to the door when Qrow was in front of him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

 

“There’s a Huntsman down, _move_.” Ignoring how the metal of his side was frozen, he shoved Qrow to the side and opened the door.

 

“You’re not going alone. I’ll be right behind you.”

 

~*~

 

So _that’s_ how explained a lot about how Qrow got around.

 

In the dark night, it wouldn’t be easy to make out the black bird, circling far above James’ head. It answered a lot of James’ questions, to be honest, but there were bigger things to worry about.

 

Following the source of the red alert from his phone, James ignored how how his side was still stiff from the damage it had taken earlier. He and Black certainly didn’t see eye to eye, but if he was downed, there needed to be action.

 

He didn’t arrive in time though.

 

The White Fang had already come and gone by the time he arrived. The North Witch was kneeling over Peach, her hands stretched over the wounds on her neck and chest. It looked bad, but Peach was still breathing. She could make it still.

 

The same could not be said for Black.

 

He was face down on the ground in a pool of his own blood and intestines- he’d been brutally eviscerated. Many years of practice had James keep a straight face at the sight of such a horrific sight, but his heart had sunk into his stomach. Damn it. If only he’d repaired his side faster, he would’ve been able to keep up. And now a Society member was dead.

 

Lavender had a cloth pressed against her stomach, sitting in a daze on the ground. She was bruised but she was conscious.

 

“Lavender. What happened.” James had to question her now. The woman was a solid Huntress- hopefully she’d be able to answer a few questions.

 

Lavender spoke like a machine, clearly but in a monotone. “There was ten of them, we were outnumbered. A dhampir went for Black.”

 

“A dhampir?” James frowned. “White Fang doesn’t recruit dhampirs, the general idea is that their human side-”

 

“I don’t believe he was White Fang.” Lavender took a deep breath. “He wasn’t wearing the mask. Didn’t have a tattoo. He couldn’t have been over eighteen, but how he went at Black… he was angry, General. Very. Angry.”

 

More Huntsman and Huntresses arrived, one of them having the courtesy to lay a blanket over Black’s corpse. The North Witch took one look at James and ordered him to go home.

 

When he arrived back at his home, Qrow had beaten him there. He didn’t say anything, he just gestured to James’ room. “We can talk more later.”

 

James just nodded wearily before walking to his room.

 

At least Qrow seemed to understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since an update! But I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I've been looking forward to it :D


	5. Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and James go to a club to meet up with one of Qrow's contacts.

“I’m sure you all know what I’m going to say today.”

 

James looked out into the crowd of young people. There was a mixed bag today, some were clearly distracted talking with their friends, or playing with their phones, and some were even _asleep…_ but there were so many others, their eyes peeked with interest, sitting a little closer on their chairs. There was even a freshman or two who had snuck in.

 

Far too young.

 

“But I’m going to start by telling you about what was on the news this morning. The death of a Huntsman.” James took a deep breath. “I wish I could say that if you joined, that would never happen to you. But I can’t say that. There’s always the risk that one day you won’t return home. But some of you are willing to take that risk. I can already tell.”

 

Huh, that blond in the front, the boy- it was the one he’d saved a few days prior. His interest was still captured, even with the threat of death. “For those of you who want to seek a life in this career, who are willing to dedicate their life to the safety of humans and nonthreatening vampires, there will be a table set up in the library. Remember, you have to be seventeen or above, in good health… and you must take this seriously. This isn’t a game… it is a duty.”

 

~*~

 

“Nice speech to the kiddos today, Jimmy.”

 

James wasn’t even going to bother to correct Qrow, or ask how he knew what he’d said today at the gym. He just gestured for the vampire to come in and Qrow slipped in through the window, once again making himself at home on James’ couch. “Got some information on the dhampir that killed Black.”

 

That was a relief. James settled back in his chair. “All right, what can you say?”

 

Qrow thought for a few seconds before rattling off information. “His name’s Mercury. He’s a kid, just turned nineteen. Apparently he’s been hopping around the White Fang lately with another dhampir about his age, Emerald. They can’t join, but whoever’s the new leader of the White Fang lets them stick around, even if they are half human.”

 

“He’s a kid that brutally murdered a Huntsman.” The image of Black face down in his own blood flashed through James’ head. “Is he usually this sadistic?”

 

The vampire shifted, looking uncomfortable. “You’re… not gonna like what I’m about to say. I got a pic of the kid, and I know his full name.” Qrow pulled a picture from his pocket and tossed it in James’ direction. “His name’s Mercury _Black_.”

 

James caught the photo and looked at it.

 

The resemblance truly was unmistakable to Marcus. James felt his chest grow a little tight.

 

“… There were rumors about what Black did in his spare time. It’s why I never got along with him, I respected him, because you can’t always trust a rumor and he was good at his job. But there was rumors he spent time in the Dark Red district. With different women.”

 

“Aha.” Qrow nodded slowly. “… Damn, Society standards dropped after I died.”

 

James was too tired to argue that, so he just changed the topic. “I went to see the Puma- Tukson. He claims he saw a woman in distress, went to her aid, and then everything’s blank. There seems to be no secondary effects to what happened to him, although he’s been allowed a month for recovery… I fear he’ll take more than a month.”

 

“That timing would fuckin’ _suck_.” Qrow pressed his lips together. “… Remember how I brought up it wasn’t attacks on humans?”

 

James nodded.

 

“We need to talk to my source again. Shed the uniform, Jimmy boy, we’re going out.”

 

~*~

 

James never went into vampire heavy areas without back up and his gun.

 

Yet, here he was at a club, smack dab in the middle of the Dark Red district, without telling Glynda and with no weaponry other than his natural metallic upgrades, which were thankfully hidden under his long sleeves.

 

The Club was not really James’ scene, too loud, and vampire/human clubs got a little… obscene. Apparently blood drinking could be a real kink in some communities, along with a way to make a little money. James never understood the kink appeal, although he could understand the need for money- letting a vampire tap off of you for fifty dollars could make life easier.

 

“There he is. Junior, he’s the guy behind the counter.” Qrow pointed at the giant vampire behind the counter. Broad shouldered, thicker beard, definitely the one in charge. In between them however, was the dance floor… and it was certainly a busy night.

 

Qrow’s hand took hold of James’ wrist. “Hope you know how to dance, Jimmy!” With that being his only warning, James was dragged onto the dance floor.

 

Of course James knew how to dance… like a _civilized_ _person_. How everyone danced around him- that wasn’t exactly civilized. More along the line of ‘how far can we go before we’re asked to leave because we’re being indecent’. And Qrow was no exception.

 

James’ mouth went dry as Qrow playfully grinded against his thigh, his eyes glittering with mischief. Part of him wanted to ask Qrow to turn it down. This was ridiculous, they had no need to dance like this… but a lot larger part of him felt challenged.

 

So his hands rested on Qrow’s hips and pulled the vampire closer, _much_ closer. James had height on him and was broader shouldered, even if Qrow was the physically stronger one James could pull him closer with little trouble.

 

Qrow’s crimson eyes went wide at their bodies being pressed together. Then they narrowed and the grinding got a little more… serious. His arms looped around James’ neck and dug lightly into his shoulders.

 

James just let one of his hands slide down and squeezed Qrow’s ass.

 

The sharp intake of breath and how Qrow’s body tensed cued in James that he possibly went a little far, but thankfully they’d already made to the other end of the dance floor. James pulled away from Qrow and tried to discreetly place his hands in his pockets to… rearrange a few things.

 

(It had been a few years since he was that close to another person, let’s just leave it at that.)

 

Qrow certainly noticed, although he hadn’t exactly left unaffected, judging by his own hands in pockets method. “Well, that was fun.” He flicked his head in the direction of the bar. “Let’s go chat with Junior then, shall we?”

 

Junior certainly was an ironic nickname. The vampire was probably seven feet tall. James was honestly regretting not sneaking along some sort of weapon. A vampire like this would be a threat even to him.

 

Thankfully he didn’t seem all that bothered though. His eyes slid over to Qrow and he gave a nod of recognition. “Nice seein’ you again, Qrow. Who’s this?”

 

“Just a night bleeder making a few bucks,” Qrow said, taking a seat at the bar. James strongly resisted the urge to punch Qrow in the back of the head before taking a seat of his own.

 

Junior grunted before he started pouring them both shots. “Looks like he’s a bit more than a bleeder, I saw you two dancing.”

 

James’ face felt warm, and he couldn’t blame the heat of the club on that. Damn it, he had gotten carried away. Qrow had just been pressing the right buttons. Qrow laughed it off and leaned forward. “Eh, he’d like to think so. Gotta talk with you Junior. Bleeder here saw one of the mangled animals, he wants more details.”

 

Animals?

 

Junior’s shoulders tensed and he cautiously looked around before he motioned to identical twin dhampirs, one in red and the other in white. They cleared the area around Junior before he leaned closer and spoke as hushed as one could in a place this loud.

 

“It’s only gotten worse, I’m not surprised they’re popping up in the human districts now. It’s the White Fang, from what my boys can tell.”

 

James’ brow furrowed. He needed to get the police to open up files about animal mutilations when he got back, damn Schnee for making them hold back. “Vampires can’t drink animal blood… right?”

 

Junior snorted and gave Qrow a look. “Is he dumb? Of course we can’t. It’s like drinking vomit. I dunno what they’re doing, but it’s starting to get disturbing. Doesn’t help night bleeders are still getting nabbed off the street left and right, even more than before.” His glance turned onto James. “You’d think your ‘Society’ would give more of a damn about those ones.”

 

 _Missing blood givers, dead animals._ James mentally filed away this new information. “I believe if they were in the Dark Red district, they might’ve not been noticed… but you’re right. They really should try more.” _If we weren’t stretched so thin already, we would be._ That thought was sour, angered, but he had to keep his cool.

 

Junior nodded before pushing them both their glasses. “Adam’s still acting like the leader, by the way. He came up here a few days ago. Pretending he’s still calling the shots. I’m about to punch him in the goddamn fangs, fuck the consequences.”

 

“Oh, don’t be so grumpy, baby bear.”

 

An orange haired vampire sat next to James, green eyes practically glowing with amusement. James noticed the multitude of bite scarring along his neck and wrists. _Night bleeder… or used to be_. “White Fang brings business, and all I gotta say is as long as he keeps his disgusting hands off of the teenage girls that hang around here, I don’t give a fuck. It’s not like he’s king anymore.” He nodded in James’ direction. “Hey there, bleeder. Name’s Roman. Gotta say, you look pretty new to the bleeding business. Not enough,” Roman gestured to his neck, “Scars. And you’re a lil old. Running short for rent?”

 

“You could say that.” James chose his words with extreme caution. If any vampire truly knew who he was, he could endanger himself and Qrow. “King?”

 

“Ya know. White Fang boss. Whatever.” Roman leaned forward and looked up at Junior with a unique admiration. “When you getting off? I’m _lonely_ _yyy_ …” His roguish smirk and wink definitely cued in what the younger vampire wanted.

 

Junior glanced away and cleared his throat. “Roman, I’m in the middle of something…”

 

“They can join, I don’t mind.”

 

James nearly choked on air and immediately took his shot to draw away from his red face. Qrow was nearly falling off his barstool, he was shaking so bad with repressed laughter. Junior turned away a bit to calm himself before turning. “Roman. Behave. Human’s curious about the mangled humans.”

 

Roman turned from flirtatious to serious in a heartbeat. “Damn. He’s probably gonna get himself killed, he knows that, right?”

 

 _Believe me, I know_. “I… think the risk is worth it.” James probably should take another shot.

 

Roman took that moment to turn. “Speak of the wanna be king, looks like he’s showed up now. Headed this way. Don’t murder him, for the love of god. If the White Fang comes down on us, the club won’t live through that.”

 

James only took a quick glance backwards to confirm a small crowd of vampires wearing the white and red masks, others giving them a wide berth. _Oh damn it_.

 

Qrow broke his glass by mistake. “… Please tell me he doesn’t know your face,” He said quietly.

 

Damn it. “Yes. He does.”

 

Qrow stood suddenly. “Junior, we need to hide. _Now_.”

 

Junior looked confused but Roman looped his arm in with James’ right one. “I’ll take you upstairs, you can explain up there.”

 

Roman acted the perfect grabby drunk, stumbling as he and Roman headed up to a private room, Qrow following a few steps behind.

 

Once the door closed, Roman turned from drunk slut to a very annoyed, very _upset_ vampire. With a sharp pull, James’ sleeve was torn clean off, revealing the prosthetic. “I _knew_ there wasn’t enough scarring.”

 

James pulled back, instinctively tucking his arm behind his back. “How did you-”

 

“Bleeders don’t wear _long sleeves_ , chrome. Junior didn’t catch that but I sure as hell did. Who are you? Society? Sorry buddy, you guys don’t patrol here, so you’re not wanted.” Roman turned his anger on Qrow, who was locking the door. “Give me five seconds why I shouldn’t let the White Fang-”

 

“He wants to help. This isn’t Society, this is me and him. And he’s the _General_ , he can rip your head off with that arm before you can scream.” Qrow stepped closer. “Or I will. I’ve been turned a lot longer than you, _pal_ , don’t think I can’t.”

 

There was a tense stand off between the two vampires before Roman relented, his gaze dropping. “Fine. Fine. I’ll let it go.” He looked at James for a few seconds, there was so many emotions but James could pick out two- Anger. And _sadness_.

 

_You weren’t there for **me**._

 

“I know, we’re not stationed out here, and I’m starting to believe that it’s a mistake not to reach out our hands in the dark red zones.” James held up a hand. “Do you know anything Junior would? About the new leader of the White Fang?”

 

Roman glanced away before he started to talk. “I saw her once. I’m not suicidal, I’m not chasing her down. She’s from the Outside.”

 

 _The Outside_. James barely repressed a shiver. “What is her name, Roman. I need a name.”

 

“… Cinder Fall.”

 

~*~

 

“We need more help from other members of the Society.”

 

Qrow growled in James’ direction. James ignored it. They’d managed to slip out a back window. Roman’s eyes had bore into the back of James’ head as they had vanished into the darkness of the night.

 

“I’m _serious_ , Qrow. A vampire from Outside the cities is more dangerous than I can possible imagine, possibly even out of my league. The Wizard can handle it though. He banished _her_ , he can handle-”

 

Qrow turned on James, his fangs bared. “I said no Society for a _reason_! This goes deep, James. Real deep. Someone has to know your patrol routes. Someone had to know where you’d be that night in order to try to put an arrow through your head. If I wasn’t there, you would be _dead_.”

 

James snapped back, “Maybe she only went after me because _you_ came for my help.”

 

The vampire backed off, a little shocked. He then snorted. “Fine. I don’t need your help anyway.”

 

It was barely a blink and a black crow was flying away into the night. Leaving James standing under the flickering street light, right on the border between the Dark Red and the human districts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed that dancing scene... far too much. Hope you all did too. (Bad Romance came on shuffle when I wrote it. I nearly died laughing.)
> 
> Shout out to Artemiisia, who helped support this chapter and another story of mine, The Safe Place! Remember to leave a kudos, and here's a question for today: what is your favorite song to dance to when no one's looking? Bye now!


	6. Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James gets a new Shadow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE shoutout to Artemiisiia, who supported this chapter of Eyes of the Devil!
> 
> Warning for gruesome dead animal descriptions.

The Wizard rarely called James into their office. When they did, it was for emergency or for a meeting among the elder Huntsman and Huntresses.

 

So James was relatively surprised to enter to see The Wizard with a young girl, wearing the blue trimmed trainee uniform of a Huntress. She waved before setting her thin hands into her lap.

 

“General.” The Wizard nodded before gesturing for James to take a seat next to the girl. “It’s good to see you doing well.”

 

James sat and nodded. It had been almost two and a half weeks since Qrow had left him, and there had been no sign of the vampire since. Attacks had been only going up. Peach was going to be out of action for at least a month, if not permanently, and Lavender was showing signs of thinking about leaving as soon as this was all over. Thankfully there had been no more deaths, although Autumn came very close to getting bitten. “Considering all that is going on, I am doing as well as I can. Who is this?”

 

The girl grinned. “My name is Penny Polendina. It’s a pleasure to meet such an honorable Huntsman!” She stuck out a hand, and James shook it.

 

Cold. Not very cold, but cold. The light glowing of her eyes cued James into what she was- a dhampir. James slowly lowered his hand. “Can I ask why I’ve been brought in here today?”

 

The Wizard glanced at Penny again, who seemed to be bursting with excitement. “Well, Penny has passed her initial training with more than flying colors. She could give some of our younger Huntresses a hard time. Considering her skill level, I think it wouldn’t be out of place for her to shadow you?”

 

Oh. James blinked in surprise.

 

He’d had a few trainees shadow him. Winter, for one, who had chosen the codename Flurry. Amber had been shadowing The North Witch at the same time and had become Autumn. This timing was… inconvenient though. He hadn’t stopped investigating Qrow’s concerns. Sure enough, Bleeders had gone missing (something that should’ve made it to the Society’s eyes but apparently someone in the police department didn’t find it ‘necessary’), and mangled animals were turning up all around Red and Dark Red districts.

  
So having a young woman shadow him, even one with exceptional skill, would put him in difficult circumstances. “Pardon me for saying this, but isn’t it a little risky to be putting out young trainees in a time like this? Even if they are of exceptional skill, no offense to you, Miss Polendina.” Penny didn’t seem insulted, she just smiled.

 

“Unfortunately, it’s the exact reason she’s being put in the field.” The Wizard sighed. “Onfield training is the best she will get. If you think she will do better elsewhere...”

 

“No. No, I’ll take her.” Best not seem suspicious. He wouldn’t have her every night, at least.

 

Penny seemed to do a dance of excitement in her chair, James couldn’t help but smile. “We… haven’t had a dhampir in the Society before, have we?”

 

“No! I’m the very first. I didn’t expect I would be even considered. This will be _sensational_!” Penny’s smile stretched entirely across her face.

 

Well. At least she was eager.

 

~*~

 

“General, why hasn’t the Society accepted dhampirs before?”

 

Well, that was a loaded question. James gave a slightly pitying look to the girl following him. It was a quiet night, unsurprising though- they were in a residential district. Around where TaiYang lived, actually…

 

Right. The question. The General cleared his throat. “It was considered a conflict of interest, when the Society was first founded, which is why no vampires are ever officially part of the Society.” Least, James had though so back then. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was one of the ones who pushed for that rule… Qrow was starting to get to him though. Damn. That vampire was never going to leave his mind, was he? “I think we can start making exceptions now though. You were raised by your human father?”

 

Penny nodded. “I never knew my mother, just my father. He works with Dust! He was a little worried about me joining the Society.” She took a quick glance behind her shoulder. “But it is okay. I can handle myself… by the way, did you notice the vampire that’s been following us for a few blocks?”

 

James turned his head rapidly. Nothing, no one was there. Except for a black bird perched on the streetlamp…

 

“… Qrow?”

 

The bird cawed before shifting back into a man, now casually sitting up on a streetlamp. “Nice catch, kiddo. Society should’ve been recruiting dhampirs for years, they can pick up things _you_ clearly can’t.” With a grunt, he leaped off the lamp and neatly on the ground.

 

Penny looked slightly flustered, but unafraid. “If you were an actual threat, I am sure the General would have noticed you. Is this one of the unofficial members you talked about, Mr. Ironwood?”

 

Qrow had to pick now to approach him? James glanced away before nodding. “In a sense. We’re working together, discreetly.”

 

Penny nodded. “Secretly! Okay, I will keep it between us then. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Qrow.” She naturally reached down to curtsy before realizing she wasn’t wearing a skirt and just shuffling in place.

 

“Shucks kid. Just Qrow is fine.” There was a much softer look in Qrow’s eyes. Penny had to be close to the age of Qrow’s nieces. “So uh… I found some more dead animals. They’re fresh. Could… maybe use a fresh pair of eyes.”

 

That was the closest James was going to get an apology, he supposed. He nodded and glanced at Penny. “Remember. Everything you see tonight with Qrow...”

 

Penny mimed zipping her mouth shut before smiling. “It will be like nothing happened. This is so exciting! My first secret mission!”

 

James could hear Qrow snickering as he led the way.

 

Penny was a cheery thing. Let’s hope sights like this wouldn’t change that.

 

~*~

 

“Oh my.”

 

Penny knelt by one of the dog corpses. Sorrowfully, she took a handkerchief from her pocket and covered its face. “I just wish I had enough for _all_ of them.”

 

James looked at her sorrowfully before going around the rest of the animals. There was three, two dogs, one cat. It was not a pretty sight.

 

“So, kid- what can you tell?” Qrow crossed his arms and looked at Penny.

 

The girl glanced at each animal, looking grim but swallowing and beginning to list her observations. “They’re each strays, they don’t smell bathed. They were dismembered and disemboweled here but they were already dead.”

 

Qrow nodded. “Why were they cut up?”

 

Penny thought for a few seconds. “To… hide something?”

 

“Could be it.” Qrow knelt by the cat and pulled some gloves from his pocket. “Time to get dirty here. Penny, keep a look out, James, if you don’t mind getting a little dirty…”

 

Right. James knelt by the other dog. It wasn’t very big, it was probably just getting out of the puppy stage. Poor thing. Deciding to just dive in, James picked up one of the forelimbs. Abrasions… it was tied down. Even though its neck was severed, there had been a collar there, but that was all he could tell. This one was missing its head entirely.

 

“I think there’s drugs in their system.” Qrow held some of the blood closer to his nose and inhaled before hacking and starting to gag.

 

James looked over in alarm. “Qrow-”

 

“Fine, fine! Just. What the fuck.” He coughed again before standing up. “Let’s scram. Let your cop buddies know there’s more bodies around, would ya? They’d probably shoot first and ask questions later if it was me.”

 

Penny seemed to appear by Qrow’s side just to pat his shoulder, sympathetic. Qrow looked down at her and smiled a bit but didn’t say anything. Nothing needed to be.

 

~*~

 

“Can I do the check in? Please?”

 

Penny seemed to let the dead animals just roll out of her mind. She was incredibly observant and kept up almost impossibly well, and by midnight James knew he had the makings of an incredibly strong Huntress on his hands. Gentle heart, but sharp mind.

 

James glanced over at Qrow, who hadn’t said anything since the animals. He gave a quick nod and James pulled the phone from his pocket. “Might as well. Head up to a roof, you’ll get better signal.” As Penny took off and bounced between two walls to get up to a storetop roof, James turned his attention to Qrow.

 

There was a brief moment of silence before Qrow cleared his throat. “… So.”

 

The General raised his hand. “I understand. No Society, and you mean it. But if we come across Cinder herself again, I will tell The Wizard.”

 

“Fine.” Qrow scraped his foot on the ground. “And maybe it is my fault The White Fang is coming for you. But hey, saved your ass once, wasn’t so bad. Guess I’ll do it again if it comes up.”

 

James let a chuckle slip out. “I can agree with this plan.” He felt… oddly thankful that Qrow was back on his side. He couldn’t put a finger on why, but it relieved a part of his mind that had been itching for the last two weeks.

 

Penny dropped down out of nowhere next to them. “Checked in! Puma and Autumn checked in right on time, and Flurry a few seconds late, but she and Autumn sounded out of breath, even though they hadn’t ran into deadlies for a few hours. I wonder why?”

 

Qrow snorted and opened his mouth but James immediately reached up and covered the vampire’s mouth. “It’s unimportant. I didn’t know Puma was back in action.”

 

Penny nodded. “He checked in, apparently he’s been not too busy tonight. Was he injured?”

 

“A few weeks ago, yes.” The night he met Qrow. That felt so long ago already. “Glad to see he’s back, we need him. Penny, I think it’s time I take you home though.”

 

Penny’s shoulders sagged. “Oh.”

 

“Don’t worry. We’ll patrol again next weekend. I am glad to be working with you,” James said. He took a step out of the light, starting the walk to Penny’s home.

 

The dhampir suddenly gasped and backed up. “Get back into the light, General.” The girl rested a hand on the sword at her belt. Qrow glanced around and then pulled out his sickle.

 

James slowly pulled out his gun before he realized he could see red in the night. Slowly, vampires with white masks with disturbing red designs walked out of the shadows.

 

Damn it. They’d taken the time to surround them while they were distracted with conversation. James leveled his gun at the leader. “I’m going to ask you to all leave. This is a Red Zone. You’re not welcome here at night.”

 

The leader ‘tch’d’ and threw his head back. Just some punk, not a high ranker. But they were outnumbered. “General, this won’t concern you tonight. You though-” He shot out his hand at Qrow. “You’re going to need to come with us. Taurus wants to know where she is.”

 

With a flick of the wrist, Qrow opened up the sickle, a quiet growl bubbling in his throat. “I’m gonna be dead for good before I tell anyone where that girl is. She’s far away from your creepy handler now. Walk away, I’m not gonna give you this offer twice.”

 

The leader vampire gave a commanding growl.

 

James clicked the button on his phone.

 

And the battle began.

 

“Penny, stay with me!” James pushed back to the wall so no one could sneak up behind him.

 

Penny lifted her sword. “Don’t worry about me, General. I’m ready.”

 

A dhampir’s speed could not outmatch a vampire’s, but Penny wasn’t planning on outrunning them. She was planning on outmaneuvering them.

 

And she did so with the skill of someone with years of more experience than her.

 

Zip, slash, zip, stab, zip, cut, she was a spinning tornado with her blade. Her blade was quickly dripping with the black-red blood of vampires.

 

While Penny was a tornado though, Qrow was a hurricane.

 

None of those vampires knew what they were getting into when Qrow appeared in front of them. His sickle was a sign of death to any vampire who tried to surround him.

 

James was briefly thankful both of them could handle themselves, as he had his own hands filled. Another vampire leapt for him but James’ metal hand crushed their throat before he put a dust bullet into their skull. Next one, same thing, the next was thrown back and against a White Fang member sneaking up behind Penny.

 

They just wouldn’t stop coming though. Penny soon backed up beside James, breath coming in heavy.

 

“Just give us your leashed vampire, General. We’ll go.” Their scrappy leader still hadn’t gone down. There was a deep cut on the side of his face, bleeding black-red and the grit of dust mixed together and making the skin turn brown and purple.

 

 _Click_. James held up his gun. One bullet left, and he would reload, he’d be overrun. But that wasn’t going to stop him. “Go to hell.”

 

_Bang!_

 

When the leader fell, the remainder of the scrappy vampires backed off, hissing and balling their fists, but their backbone gone.

 

“Well, this is embarrassing.”

 

Two dhampirs suddenly walked from the shadows, and for a second, James thought he was seeing a ghost. The smirk. The dark eyes.

 

It was a much younger Marcus Black, paired with a girl with mint green hair and dark red eyes.

 

James didn’t lower his eyes as he reloaded his gun. Practice let him do it blind. “For you, yes. Leave now, and we’ll let you return to your homes, let’s end this body count now.”

 

The girl focused deeply on James and he felt his neck prickle. The boy just shrugged. This had to be Mercury. “Meh. They can do what they want. I don’t give a damn. But we’re not done with you yet.”

 

The White Fang regrouped and Qrow glared up at James. He had a wound to his stomach, not too bad… but…

 

With a growl, Qrow suddenly leaped for James, fangs bared. James barely managed to roll out of the way. Qrow flicked the blood off his sickle and went for the huntsman again. Again, duck, roll, out of the way. It was taking all his strength not to raise his gun and put a bullet into his head.

 

“Qrow! Qrow, what has gotten into you!?” James punched the vampire back and kicked him in the chin once he was down.

 

The vampire just snarled and went for him again. And again. James couldn’t keep up, it was one thing to be surrounded by vampires, it was another to be attacked by a single vampire who experienced the same training he did.

 

He couldn’t hold off anymore. “I’m sorry!” James pulled out his gun and aimed for Qrow’s side, firing once. He couldn’t fatally wound him. Whatever had gotten into Qrow’s head, had to end.

 

Qrow howled in pain.

 

And suddenly James was pulled back by what felt like razor sharp strings.

 

The vampires faded. The dhampirs were now gone.

 

And Qrow was gasping for breath, gripping his bleeding side, eyes showing no sign of feral nature but instead fear and confusion.

 

“General! General, are you okay?”

 

Penny was standing above James, eyes wide with fear. James broke eye contact with Qrow to look up at his trainee.

 

“You and Qrow attacked each other! I don’t understand… what did you see?”

 

Suddenly more Huntsmen and Huntresses flooded into the area, and James turned to look at Qrow.

 

Qrow wasn’t there anymore, but there was a black bird now perched above, its wing twisted as if it was broken.

 

The North Witch stood above him now, examining a wound to his shoulder he didn’t even feel the pain from. “General? General, what happened?”

 

James opened his mouth to explain but nothing would come out. Nothing except for, “I don’t… I don’t know.”

 

~*~

 

Several hours later, back in his own home, James stepped out of the shower, still trying to wrap his mind around what just happened.

 

Glynda hinted that he should perhaps take a week off, but James refused. It was just a rough battle, he claimed. Nothing out of sorts really happened, he just got a hit to the head.

 

The mental images of Qrow leaping for his throat just weren’t leaving. With a groan, James wrapped a towel around his waist. Just when they’d repaired things after their fight as well. Was that even a real fight?

 

Something kept rolling around his head as well. Why didn’t he shoot to kill? Why didn’t he instinctively aim for the head, and take out the one attacking him? He always relied on his instincts. Always.

 

James groaned and walked to his bedroom. He was just going to sleep all day. If Qrow didn’t want to see him again, that was fine.

 

Then again, James should’ve honestly expected this.

 

Qrow was sitting right on the windowsill, watching the sun come up. He looked over at James as he came in. His side was still stained with blood, and he had bruises on his face and knuckles. They’d fought like hell, hadn’t they?

 

The vampire didn’t need to say anything though. James motioned in. “You can come in.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Qrow jumped into the window and shut it behind him, groaning as he sat down on the bed. “You really got me good with that gun. Why didn’t you go for the head?”

 

James thought for a few seconds before he sat down next to him. “… You’re my friend, Qrow. Somewhat. I thought you’d suddenly gone feral, and that meant I had to bring you down, but I didn’t want to kill you.”

 

Qrow snorted. “That happens less than you’d think. I just saw you come for me out of the blue. Think it was the green haired dhampir fucking with our heads, some can do that. Probably struggled a lot though, to trick two people at once. That’s why your girl could pull us out of it. Dunno how she did it, but she did.”

 

Penny. James would ask her about that later. She was escorted home by Autumn and Flurry, shaken and a bit bruised but generally all right. “Well, neither of us are dead. And I have the day and night off. Let me sleep, we’ll go over our findings tonight.”

 

Qrow nodded before grimacing and clutching his side. “Actually… I kinda came over for more than one reason than to make nice.”

 

“And that is?” What on earth could Qrow want right now?

 

“Need to feed. I’ve been putting it off. And after an injury like this, I really need it. So hold still for a sec.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God. Damn it Qrow.


	7. Feeding Dreams and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James has some interesting dreams after being fed off of again, and Yang realizes her little sister is up to something.

Well, this was embarrassing. Qrow didn’t even give him time to get _dressed_.

 

James laid perfectly still, Qrow softly lapping at his neck, right next to where he’d bit him last time. The previous bite had now healed, but when Qrow’s breath lightly brushed against it, James could feel the scarred skin prickle and heat up. Did his body know this was the same vampire that had bit him the few weeks ago?

 

The vampire’s icy tongue tracing the scar, almost lovingly, and James shivered. Qrow chuckled and his fangs nicked James’ skin, just barely drawing blood. “Look at you- you’re already acting like a bleeder.”

 

James’ fists balled up and he would shoved the vampire off if Qrow hadn’t chosen that moment to sink his fangs in, right below the previous mark.

 

A groan slipped out from his lips and James’ face flushed. That sounded… suggestive. Qrow tensed for a brief moment before pressing his lips even more firmly against James’ new wound.

 

Oh, _god_.

 

James’ chest rose and fell a little more rapidly, eyes rolling up and lids shutting. Now he was starting to understand the _other_ appeal to all of this. He felt so warm, so over sensitized. It was almost driving him mad. Even just having a towel around his waist felt like too much on.

 

Finally Qrow’s fangs pulled out and he sighed. “Your blood,” He licked his reddened lips, “is really good.” He got up and walked into the bathroom, returning moments later with gauze and a wetted cloth. James sighed as the cool touch of the cloth bathed his neck. Qrow’s fingertips traced the new gouge in James’ neck before bandaging it up.

 

“I’m gonna borrow your washing machine and then goooo… so see you later.”

 

James just watched Qrow leave before letting himself slip into a light slumber. Dreams flitted before his eyes, dreams of the towel being pulled away, a cold hand trailing down his chest before wrapping around his cock, soon to be joined by a wet mouth bobbing back and forth while a pair of rusty red eyes stared up at him, never breaking eye contact, barely even blinking as James’ length slid down his throat…

 

When James awoke in midafternoon, some of the details of the dream had left, but the gaze did not.

 

~*~

 

“Where’s your sister?”

 

Yang glanced over as the local ‘Ice Queen’ hurried to keep up with the taller blonde’s pace. She only greeted her with a shrug. “I dunno. Said she was going to study with you, if you’re Weiss Schnee.”

 

The shorter girl tossed her ponytail behind her shoulder. “That is who I am. And no, she was supposed to meet me at the library today, but she’s late. I thought she was going home with you. This is just great.” Weiss crossed her arms. “We need to finish up our project!”

 

Yang snorted, slowing down to grab her Skittles from her backpack. “It’s not due till next week, what’s the rush?”

 

Weiss was clearly appalled. “What’s the _rush_?! This will be a quarter of our grade in this class! A _quarter_! If we get it done a week ahead of time, we can go back and-”

  
“Whoa whoa whoa.” Yang flung her arm out in front of Weiss, Weiss bumping into it as Yang completely froze as she stared to the other side of the parking lot.

 

“What’s the big-”

 

“Shut UP!”

 

Weiss followed Yang’s line of vision.

 

There was Ruby! But who was that man she was with? The pale skin and the visible veins gave away what he was.

 

“It’s a vampire, he’s going to bite your-”

 

Yang actually kicked Weiss this time to make her be quiet. Weiss jumped up and down and rubbed her ankle, hissing quietly in pain. “That was uncalled for!”

 

The vampire and Ruby headed off, Ruby happily chattering about her school day. Yang looked like she’d seen a ghost. “We have to follow them.”

 

Weiss scowled. “No, we’re _calling_ the police! If a vampire is kidnapping her-”

 

“I think that’s my uncle. My supposedly _dead_ uncle.”

 

Yang grabbed Weiss’ arm and together they began to stalk Ruby, staying a few blocks down but keeping them in sight.

 

Weiss finally asked. “Your dead uncle? He’s clearly walking around as a bloodsucker.”

 

Yang huffed quietly before releasing Weiss’ arm. “I remember him, a little. He, my dad, and my moms,”

 

“Moms?”

 

Yang ignored the interruption and kept talking. “They were part of the Society. They hunted vampires together. Dad never talks about what happened, but I found out that they were attacked by the White Fang. Dad… was the only one who survived. I barely remember them now, but I remember enough. That’s my Uncle Qrow.”

 

Weiss slowly nodded as she caught up to the story. “I think I get it- wait. Does this mean your mom, or _moms_ , could be…”

 

Yang sighed. “Not Summer. They found her body. But… but they didn’t find Raven’s. My mom. Biologically, anyway.”

 

“… How did you have two moms anyway?”

 

Yang rolled her eyes. “Come on, Weiss. Polyamory. It’s a great concept, get on board.” Weiss sniffed.

 

“I’m going to stay on the monogamy train, _thank_ you very much.”

 

Clearly not the most open minded.

 

Ruby and Uncle Qrow’s path took them through town, Ruby occasionally stopping to press her face against a window, excitedly babbling about what was inside.

 

Then they reached the Dark Red District, and kept on going.

 

Weiss froze at that. “We can’t go in there.”

 

Yang gave her a look. “Dude, it’s not like there’s a ‘keep out’ sign.”

 

“But it’s, it’s… we could get hurt! It’s dangerous in there!”

 

Yang smirked. “Dangerous is my middle name. Now go home if you don’t wanna be in there, I gotta see where Ruby is going and I don’t want to lose them.”

 

The blonde kept on walking, and after a few seconds, Weiss took off after her, nervously clinging to Yang’s arm.

 

Other than the fact the area was always covered in clouds and all the buildings were gray and crumbling, it actually wasn’t too bad. Lots of vampires, and a couple would stop and actually gawk, but Yang would just wave in their direction or wink if they were cute.

 

“How much for a pint, ladies?” A much bolder vampire had approached them.

 

Yang laughed. “Not here for that today, buddy. Although maybe later. Kinda need to upgrade my motorcycle.”

 

“Come on, Brawnz, they aren’t bleeders, leave ‘em be.”

 

Two (rather handsome) dhampirs strode up, one of them blond with an unbuttoned shirt and the other with blue hair and a red jacket, hands in his pockets. The other vampire rolled his eyes before seemingly just vanishing.

 

Yang glanced over the blond dhampir’s shoulder. There they were. Heading into that building. “Thanks, good looking, can you help me with something else?”

 

“Name it, baby. Name’s Sun. This is Neptune.” Sun gestured to the bluehaired boy, who just gave a quick wave and a ‘sup’.

 

Well, they weren’t so bad! Dhampirs were usually pretty decent. “I’m Yang. This is Weiss. Aaaand do you know the guy we just saw with the little girl in the red hoodie?”

 

Sun brightened. “Qrow? Yeah, he’s lived around here for a while. Bit of a drunk, drifts around, but he’s okay. Usually pops by to check on one of our neighbors. I think the girl’s his niece.”

 

Yang found herself walking in front of the building. Just a typical below average apartment, gray, cracks in the bricks… who was that in the top window?

 

A girl. Couldn’t be much more than Yang’s age. Black hair, just looking out into the street, looked like she had something in her lap. Yang’s breath had caught.  
  
“And… who lives in the top window, there?” _Keep it cool sounding, keep it cool._

 

Sun glanced up. “Oh, that’s Blake! She’s kinda a loner, keeps to herself. Moved in, what, a year ago, Neptune?”

 

Neptune thought for a second. “Oh yeah, around that time. Because you know, right around then there was that big White Fang nest raid, and it was nooottt a good time to be any sort of vampire, whole _or_ half.”

 

“Oh yeah! But Blake showed up around then. She’s cool, just… a bit cold at first. I could take you up there so you could meet her?” Sun was grinning. Oh he knew. He _definitely_ knew.

 

Yang cleared her throat. “Nah, it’s cool. I just wanted to know what my, uh, friend was up to. We’re gonna head back home now. Nice meeting you two.”

 

Sun spread out his arms. “Hey, always great to meet some nice girls. Come by any time, we’re on the second floor, apartment 211. Neptune makes a mean instant ramen.”

 

“I’ll be the judge of that. See ya!”

 

As Yang and Weiss walked away, Weiss shook her head. “Unbelievable. Your Uncle’s alive. Do you think your dad knows?”

 

Yang shook her head, her previous jovial attitude given away to deep thought. “No. Dad wouldn’t hide that.”

 

“Then how does Ruby know?”

 

Yang didn’t have a clue.


	8. Captured and Betrayed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The General falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to artemiisiia for the support! She's the main reason this story will continue, love you friend!

So. James might have a bit of a problem.

 

It wasn’t working with Qrow, no, they’d actually got a lot done in the last few weeks. Penny was truly the greatest help, and she kept her word. She hadn’t breathed a word to anyone about working on with Qrow and investigating the dead animals. Although there had been a few more White Fang attacks, none were as bad as the first time. And the mystery dhampirs hadn’t shown their faces again… at least to them.

 

Teacher and Hunter had literally gone for each other’s throats, claiming they thought the other was White Fang. The wounds they had inflicted on the other weren’t deadly, but the two men were severely shaken up. Flurry had a breakdown midfight and ended up getting bitten. She’d thought she saw Autumn get shot.

 

It was not a good time to be a Huntsman or a Huntress.

 

But oddly enough, that wasn’t concerning him.

 

What was, on the other hand… was a very annoying attraction.

 

After Qrow fed from him that time, the dream he had afterward could be excusable. His mind was under the effect of the bite, he’d heard of people who were bit who had erotic dreams involving the vampire who fed off them.

 

Of course, they typically didn’t have _returning_ dreams.

 

James had no problems with his sexuality, he’d come to terms long ago he was solely attracted to men. And Qrow, although he hated to admit it, was his type.

 

It was just too complicated of a situation to think of things like that though.

 

So he took a lot of cold showers and made sure not to let his eyes linger on Qrow… for too long, anyway.

 

~*~

 

“So, animal experimentation.”

 

James had agreed to meet with Glynda today to sort of catch her up to speed. Qrow refused to let the information be wide spread, but decided letting The North Witch have some information wouldn’t be the end of the world. Everyone knowing though, apparently was.

 

Paranoid vampire.

 

James nodded and sipped at the tea. They’d met out on Glynda’s back porch, surrounded by her lovely garden. Vegetables and flowers alike filled her yard, and they always were stunningly gorgeous. “Qrow can’t put his finger on why, but their blood doesn’t smell right. I’m going to try to get ahold of a sample so you can use your magic to find out why.”

 

“It would be better if you could take it to a lab. I can get generics, but magic is fussy with specifics,” Glynda pulled a face before lowering her tea cup. “But Qrow has to have a reason to believe that the Society can’t know about this, and I am going to trust him. Hesitantly. He’s never crossed the line, has he?”

 

“… What counts as crossing the line?”

 

Glynda narrowed her eyes and James smiled sheepishly for a few seconds before clearing his throat and speaking.

 

“No. All of what you told me of him is correct.” James slid a gloved finger around the rim of the cup. “He’s stubborn, likes to drink, and is overall a pain in the ass. But he still has excellent Huntsman instincts. He’s more intelligent than he lets on. And I think I can say without doubt he’s still himself. He’s changed due to his instincts but… Qrow still has a soul.”

 

Glynda seemed quite surprised by all that, her expression changing, eyebrows raised, eyes blinking a few times. Then she smiled. “That’s… good. Very good.” She cleared her throat. “Think you could go for another cup?”

 

“Of course.”

 

It was a beautiful day. James needed to enjoy it.

 

~*~

 

“Here! I found some!”

 

Penny knelt beside the corpses of at least five dead dogs… and something a lot bigger. James was frowning as he kicked over one of the torsos.

 

Something wasn’t right with these ones. They were lumpier. Their eyes had been gouged out. And James had absolutely no idea what the biggest one used to be. It was thicker, and its paws weren’t right. The claws were longer, sharper.

 

“Whatever they’re doing now, it’s started to take more drastic effects,” James said, pulling a few vials from his pocket. He tossed half of them to Penny, who caught them with ease. “Take samples. Hair, blood. See if we can take any of their teeth out. Careful though”

 

Penny got down and immediately did was she was told. “What are we going to do with them?” She asked, carefully pulling some of the fur from the belly of the corpse.

 

“Hopefully, take them to the North Witch and have her discover what’s being done to them.” James pulled at one of the canines of the beast like one, it took only a good yank. “The more we can get, the more we can discover what’s going on-”

 

The sound of a trashcan tipping over alerted him and James got to his feet, pulling out his gun. “Who’s there?” He demanded.

 

Slowly, a black cat walked from the shadows. A dark purple ribbon was wrapped around its neck.

 

“Mew?”

 

Of course. He got scared over a _cat_. Sighing, James holstered his gun. “Here, kitty.”

 

With a pounce and a jump, the cat was now seated in James’ arms, purring loudly. Softly smiling, James scratched its ears. What a friendly thing.

 

“General, I got my samples. Could you put the vampire down and make sure I got enough?”

 

Vampire? James nearly dropped the cat out of surprise. The cat jumped free and with a dull purple shine, shapeshifted into a girl. The ribbon was now tied on her head, similar to the cat ears he’d seen before. She looked somewhat bashful.

 

“… Sorry about that. I… tend to forget things when I’m a cat. I know Qrow. I need to find him. My location’s been compromised.”

 

Penny stepped forward, her samples in a small plastic bag. “Most shapeshifters do. My name is Penny!”

 

“Blake.”

 

Blake? A dim memory shifted in the back of James’ head. How did he know that name… “I am going to need proof that we’re both friends with Qrow. Even if I would like to trust you.”

 

Nodding, Blake stepped forward. “He’s a shapeshifter too. He shapeshifts into a black bird. And he has a niece named Ruby.”

 

“Ruby?” Penny blinked. “I know a Ruby. I didn’t know she had an uncle.”

 

Blake shrugged. “I don’t think they’re actually related. She just comes by every now and then.”

 

James felt like he’d been socked in the stomach. Ruby knew Qrow?

 

_He said he wasn’t in contact with them._

 

“You can come with us. What do you mean your home has been compromised?”

 

Blake opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly shivered. “… Oh no.” She shifted back into a cat and jumped behind Penny. Penny unsheathed her sword.

 

James knew better than to question their fright. His gun left its holster again. “Blake, is someone after you?”

 

“Meow!”

 

Blake’s fur had puffed up on the back of her neck, and her tail was batting wildly. A scared animal.

 

_I need to get Penny out of here._

 

“Penny, take Blake, and go somewhere safe. Get the samples to the North Witch when you can.”

 

Penny went pale. “But-”

 

“That is an _order_ , Penny.” Oh, he hated to pull rank like this, but if Blake was scared, he knew something was wrong.

 

Penny gathered up the cat in her arms, nodding. “… Be safe, General.” And like a cold wind, she was gone.

 

It was quiet, for a few moments. Then the vampires came.

 

White Fang, all of them. Closing off the mouth to the alley. Blocking off any escape. And with them was a very familiar vampire, with red hair and a sword.

 

James nodded in his direction.

 

“Adam.”

 

Adam nodded back.

 

“General.”

 

Adam sheathed his sword. “I know she was here. I can smell her. You don’t have to go down like this for one of mine. Tell me where she went.”

 

 _Now_ James remembered how he knew that name. Adam’s mate.

 

‘ _She was_ _ _ **not**__ _his mate.’_

 

James held up his gun, aimed right at Adam’s forehead. “She wasn’t yours in the first place.”

 

_**Bang!** _

 

Of course it missed, Adam rolled out of the way, but James didn’t shoot to kill- just to distract. With Adam focused on the bullet, he didn’t notice James snap the button on the inside of his sleeve.

 

Now he just had to stall.

 

He had a few inches on Adam’s height but Adam was _fast_ , moving for James’ wrist and getting a hold of the gun. James’ weapon went flying across the alley and now it was down to strength and strength alone.

 

Adam tackled James’ midsection, sending them both to the ground. James rolled at the right moment so now he had Adam pinned. Two punches to the jaw, three…

 

Adam kicked James off and flipped back to his feet, baring his fangs. One had broken, and was covered in blackish blood. They circled each other before James went in this time.

 

It was a wonder to James that no one was interfering. That it was just down to him and Adam.

 

Fists collided against skin, James was constantly attempting to grab the smaller man while Adam fought like a beast- snapping his fangs, scratching, charging, it was like trying to grab an eel.

 

And James was starting to tire out.

 

It was a split second mistake. James finally had a grip on Adam, he was twisting the vampire’s arm behind his back, about to snap it-

 

He hadn’t looked behind him.

 

A sharp knife imbedded itself in the shoulder joint of his metal arm. James cried out in pain and let Adam go. His arm froze up, the pain turned to numb, he couldn’t move it-

 

Adam slugged James across the face.

 

And the General fell.

 

Groaning, James pulled the knife free, holding it in front of his eyes.

 

Black. Silver designs. Dust imbedded… he knew this knife. How did he know this knife?

 

“Nice shot, Tukson.”

 

Adam grinned darkly as James attempted to struggle to his feet, his metal joints were seizing, he couldn’t move…

 

Tukson had removed the white mask from his face, his face completely straight. “Thank you, Master.” He droned.

 

 _Sleeper_.

 

James pulled himself up halfway before Adam kicked him across the face.

 

Out cold.

 

~*~

 

Everything was a blur after that.

 

He remembered being dragged across the concrete. The pebbles scratched his flesh leg.

 

It was so dark in here. Only a vampire could see.

 

A pair of glowing, golden eyes met his. A beautiful smile. Dark hair curled over her shoulder.

 

“… Cinder?”

 

He barely could recognize his own voice, so slurred.

 

“Finally, the General is here.”

 

He was strapped to table. The table was frozen cold. The leather straps bit his skin.

 

“Our Mother wanted you dead, at first. But… there’s better uses for you.”

 

James’ mouth was pried open. Adam’s mouth was curled into a growl, he looked ready to break James’ jaw. “He doesn’t deserve this.”

 

“Well this time, there won’t be a mistake. This is an _honor_ , General. Be grateful to become my brother.”

 

Her voice was so smooth, like silk. James blacked out again.

 

He came back to when the sensation of something being forced down his throat jerked him awake. He struggled violently, instinctively biting down. It was plastic. A tube? James followed the line to the source.

 

A large container of black red plasma.

 

No.

 

_No._

 

“This is going to hurt.”

 

The red started to go up the line.

 

“But you’ll be thankful. We all were. After it was done.”

 

_Just kill me. Please just kill me._

 

James squeezed his eyes shut.

 

The sound was inhumane. A bellow. A roar.

 

The container was shattered.

 

“ _You_ -”

 

A crash. The sound of fighting.

 

James could barely keep conscious.

 

The tube was roughly ripped from his throat.

 

“… None got to him. He’s fine.”

 

“Oh my god…”

 

“Jimmy?! Jim?”

 

James’ eyes flickered open to meet a pair of red.

 

 _Qrow_.

 

“You’re gonna be okay, Jimmy! Stay awake, we’re getting you out of here…”

 

Qrow had saved him again. James eyes slid shut.

 

“Jim? Jimmy? James! JAMES!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MUAHAHAHAHAH! what, you didn't expect this ;D?
> 
> I now have an update schedule, you can find it by clicking [ heeere](http://imburiedincats-sendhelp.tumblr.com/post/149934536512/official-schedule-for-writing-updates), I will not be doing Prompt Saturday this week unfortunately due to being without internet, but all other updates should be unaffected.
> 
> I'm curious, although I'm almost done with it, how many of you are hyped for the Roman/Junior chapter? Let me know in the comments! See ya!


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